The government has announced their review into the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004. From the terms of reference [PDF] it seems pretty comprehensive: the committee will examine the nature of mana whenua and public interests in the foreshore and seabed pre-Ngati Apa, the options available to the government in response to the decision, and whether the Foreshore and Seabed Act properly recognises those interests. If they find that it does not, the committee will outline options on fixing it - though notably this is restricted to "the most workable and efficient methods", not the most just.
The committee is one the Maori Party ought to be happy with: Former Chief Maori Land Court judge and Waitangi Tribunal chair Eddie Durie, VUW's Richard Boast, who wrote extensively on the foreshore and seabed problem and has an excellent paper panning the pre-Ngati Apa precedent of 90 Mile Beach, and educationalist Hana O'Regan. They have the expertise, and they're unlikely to be particularly sympathetic to the former government's policy of unilateral expropriation.
The committee will be reviewing the original select committee submissions, but they'll also be seeking more. I'll post submission details when they are publicised.
